Improvement in machines for setting button or lacing-hooks



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'Improvement in Machines for Setting Button or Lacing Hooks. No.124,029, Patented Feb. 27, I872.

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, 7 Improvement in Machines for Setting Button or Lacing Hooks.

N0. 124,029. Patented Feb."27, 1872..

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Improvement in Machines for Setting Button or Lacing Hooks.

N0. 124,029, Patented Feb. 27,1872.

Cam 1- UNITED STATES PATENT Qrrrcn.

HORACE O. BRADFORD, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR SETTING BUTTON OR LAClNG-HOOKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,029, dated February27, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE O. BRADFORD, of the city and county ofProvidence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new anduseful Machine for Setting Button or Lacing Hooks.

My invention consists in certain novel devices and combinations ofmechanism by means of which lacing-hooks may be automatically set inleather, cloth, or other fabric.

The lacinghook for the setting of which my machine is adapted waspatented by William H. Shurtleif, June 5, 1866.

The following specification, taken in connection with the drawingsfurnished and forming a part of the same, is presented by me as a true,clear, and exact description of a machine embodying the several andcombined features of my invention.

Three sheets of drawings are presented.

Sheet 1 Figure 1 is a front perspective View of one of my completemachines. Fig. 2 represents in detail the lower end of the chute, andthe devices for separating a single hook from the line of hooks in thechute, and presenting it to the forcing mechanism. Fig. 3 represents anenlarged view of the upper end of the chute, and a cross verticalsection of the same, with a lacing-hook in position. Sheet 2: Fig. 4 isa rear perspective view of one of my machines. Fig. 5 represents theturning and clinching mechanism in vertical section. Fig. 6 representsthe forcing nippers in vertical section. Sheet 3: Fig. 7 is a plan viewof one of my machines as seen from beneath it. On this sheet, also, arefigures representing the several cams, exhibiting their grooves andoperating-surfaces.

For the purposes of convenient illustration, I will divide my machineinto four general divisions, viz.: First, that combination of mechanismwhich separates the lacing-hooks from the mass of hooks and arrangesthem in a certain essential position ready for delivery to the forcingmechanism. Second, the combination of mechanism which delivers thesingle hook to the forcing mechanism. Third, the forcing mechanism, bywhich the prongs of the lacing-hook are forced through the leather orother fabric. Fourth, the combination of mechanism by which the turningand the clinching of the prongs of the lacing-hook v is effected.

My machine as herein described differs from all others for setting theShurtleif hooks with which I am acquainted, in this--it will set thelacing-hooks in leather or other fabric while the leather is stationaryand right side up, and by forcing the prongs of the hook downwardthrough the fabric. Heretofore in all cases the hooks have beenpresented to the forcing mechanism with their heads downward, withprongs pointing upward, and the fabric, upon being placed thereon Wrongside up, was forced down upon the prongs until they protruded upwardthrough it. With my machine the operator can see whether every hook isto be set in the proper position, because the hooks and the fabric areboth right side up at all times.

In the drawings my machine is represented as if mounted upon a bed-plateand supported on four legs, after the manner of a table.

A denotes the main shaft. It is located at the rear of the machinebelow, and sustained in hangers connected to the bed-plate. To thisshaft a crank or driving-pulley is applied. B denotes the hopper forcontaining the mass of lacing hooks, which are loosely thrown therein. 0denotes a vertical separator operating within the hopper. It has a thinupper edge, which inclines downward from rear to front, and is titted toslide up and down vertical] y through the mass of hooks. During itsupward movement it engages with a portion of the hooks with which itcomes in contact, and conveys them upward above the remainder of thehooks within the hopper. The separator thus lifts all hooks which engagewith it, whether by the spaces between the prongs, or by thelacing-space below the head. The hooks, sustained by the edge of theseparator, slide down the inclined edge to its lowest point, from which,when the separator is at its highest elevation, they slide, as hereaftermore fully described. Motion is communicated to this separator by meansof the lever a, which is pivoted at one end to the under side of theplate. Its free end is connected to the lower shank of the separator,which extends through and below the bed-plate adjacent to the mainshaft. The lever a is actuated by a grooved cam, b, with which it isoperatively connected by a projecting stud. The cam b is mounted on astud and hanger projecting from-the under side of the bed-plate, and isoperatively connected to the main shaft by gearing. D denotesthe chutefor conveying the lacinghooks from the separator. It is connected to thehopper, and is sustained in part by it and by arms extending from themain standard X. The chute extends downward and to the front from thehopper, and is then, by an easy curve, turned to the right at nearly aright angle, and continued to the end with a uniform incline. E denotesthe top plate of the chute. At its upper end it is connected to thehopper. It consists of a thin flat strip of metal, which, at the hopper,is vertical, and corresponds in form and character with the edge of theseparator. When the separator is at its highest elevation, its lowest orfront end is coincident with the upper end of the top plate. A shortdistance from the upper end the top plate is twisted from avertical to ahorizontal position, and so continues throughout its length. This twistd in the top plate constitutes an important feature of my invention, andits peculiar function is hereafter more fully described. F denotes theturning-plate of the chute. Like the top plate, it is composed of flatsheet metal, and is connected to the chute in such a manner as not to bein contact with the top plate, but at right angles thereto, and at acertain equal distance from it throughout its entire length. Itcommences adjacent to the twist d in the top plate, and extends to thelower end of the chute. The upper end is pointed and twisted so as tocorrespond with the under side of the top plate at the twist d. Thedistance between the upper edge of the turningplate and the under sideof'the top plate is a little greater than the thickness of theshankplate of the lacing-hook. G denotes the back plate of the chute.It, like the others, consists of a strip of sheet metal. It is vertical,and connected by the frame-work and bottom rail of the chute to the topand turning plates, but is not in contact with either. Its inside upperedge is parallel with, but below, the rear edge of the top plate. Itsinner side is parallel with the inner face of the turningplate. Itextends from a point near the twist d downward to the end of the chute.The top plate, turning and back plates are secured to each other, and tothe standard X, and constitute as a whole a chute possessing peculiarand novel features. The separator, on being forced upward through themass of hooks in the hopper, lifts therefrom such as may en gage withits thin upper edge. All those hooks which are retained by their neckson the edge, and have their prongs extending to the right hand, willslide downward semi-horizontally on the separator, and oftfrom it to theedge of the top plate, and continue downward in that position, untilthey arrive at the twist (Z. By the configuration of the top plate atthe twist the hook is made to assume a vertical position, with the headupward. The shank-plate and prongs being heavier than the head, it isnatural for the hook to incline somewhat with the prongs downward. Asthe hook descends on the top plate at the upper end of the twist d, theupper end of the turning-plate F engages with one prong of the hook, andcauses this pron g to enter the space between the turning-plate and thetop plate, and prevents the hook from falling off as it changes itsposition. When the hook arrives in its downward course at the lower endof the twist, and at the upper end of the back plate, the other two prongs will enter the space between the two inner faces of the back plateand turning-plate, as shown in Fig. 3. Whenever hooks are lifted fromthe mass by the separator,by its engaging in the spaces between theprongs, or by its engaging with the necks of other hooks, with theirprongs extending toward the left hand, they will all be delivered uponthe edge of the top plate, as if properly presented, but, as theydescend, they will all be thrown from the chute at the twist d, as therewill be nothing to hold them on while passing the twist. In practice,the separator will average a little more than one hook properlydelivered in its every movement, and it, therefore, keeps the chutesupplied with hooks somewhat in advance of immediate requirements.

Having thus described the mechanism and its mode of operation by whichthe chute is automatically supplied with lacing-hooks from the hopper,and by which they are presented in a certain essential position, I willnow describe the mechanism by which the hooks are separated from theline of hooks in the chute, and delivered or allowed to advance singlyto the forcing mechanism. H and H denote two releasing-fingers. Both arebow-shaped, and project outward to the front horizontally from the endsof two parallel shafts, which are mounted in bearings sustained by thestandard X. These releasing-fingers are so curved lon gitudinally fromthe lines of their respective axes that when they are semi-rotated theyalternately approach and recede from the upper surface of the top plateof the chute. hen the finger H is turned down into close relation to thetop plate, it prevents the hooks already in the chute from continuingdownward by its actual contact with the head of the lowest hook in theline. WVhen this finger H is turned up, the hook with which it was incontact is allowed to continue downward in the chute, until againarrested in its movement by the finger H, which, like the other, is,when turned down, also in close relation with the upper side of the topplate. The following downward movement of the finger H brings it intocontact with the next upper hook in the line; the following upwardmovement of the finger H releases the lowest hook, and allows it tocontinue downward to the end of the chute. Motion may be communicated tothese fingers in a variety of methods, and they may as well operatevertically as in the manner described. In the present instance, motionis communicated to the finger H by a crank and rod connected to thehorizontally-vibrating lever e, and to the finger H by a crank and ahorizontal lever, the free end of which is adjacent to and operated by astud projecting from the side of the connecting-rod q, more fullyhereafter described. The return movement of finger H is efl ected by aretractile spring, which is connected to the bed-plate and to itshorizontal lever, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. I denotes a transfer-bar,by means of which the lacing-hooks are transferred from the chute to theforcing mechanism. This transfer-bar consists of a metallic rod fittedto horizontal bearings, and is arranged to alternately move to the rightand left to and from the lower open end of the chute at properintervals. The end of the bar adjacent to the chute is slottedvertically for a short distance. The width of the slot corresponds withthe distance between the turning-plate and back plate, while the bar onboth sides of the slot corresponds, in width and thickness, to each ofthe two plates of the chute referred to. When the end of thetransfer-bar is in contact with the end of the chute, the barconstitutes, in fact, to the length of its slot, a movable continuationof the chute without its top plate. The alternate movement of thetransfer-baris effected by a horizontal lever, e, which is mounted on astandard above the bed-plate, and which is actuated by a vertical lever,f, which, in turn, extends downward through the bedplate, and which isactuated by contact with the surface j" on the side of the rotary cam g,mounted on the main shaft. This portion of the cam g is so formed that,during every complete revolution, it will cause the transfer-bar to movefrom contact with the chute quickly to the right, away from the chute,then to rest for, say, about two-thirds of the revolution, after whichit quickly returns the bar to its former position, and follows by a restof about one-third of the revolution. As shown in the drawing, the camworks in but one direction, the return movement being made by aretractile spring connected at one end to an arm of the standard of themachine, and at the other to the outer end of the transferbar. By adouble-actin g cam, this entire movement can be accomplished with apositive motion. K denotes a vertically-vibratory transfer-finger, whichtransfers the released lacing-hook from the chute to the transferbar. Itoccupies the space intervening between and below the back and turningplates of the chute at its lower end. It is mounted on the end of ashaft, which is sustained in bearings projecting from that arm of thestandard X which immediately sustains the lower end of the chute. Thetransfenfinger, when at rest, has its upper end inclined toward thechute, and does not project upward into the space between the verticalplates until the finger is vibrated by the semi-rotary movement of itsaxis or shaft. Inits vibratory move ment, theiree end of the fingerdescribes an are equal to about one-quarter of a circle. It

.is actuated by a crank-lever, to which a connectingrod, h, is attached,which is, in turn,

connected with a spring-lever, i, beneath the bed-plate. Thelever 'i, atits free end, is in contact with the edge of the cam on on the mainshaft. As the cam revolves, it forces the connected end of the leveridownward, and holds it in that position until the proper time arrivesfor the vibration of the finger. The movement of the finger to therightis accomplished by the spring which is attached to the lever, whilethe return movement is effected by the cam, which is so formed that,during about seveneighths of its movement, the finger is at rest andheld in that position, the complete vibratory movement being effectedduring the remaining one-eighth portion of the revolution. L denotes apair of clamping-nippers, which automatically seize the lacing-hooks asthey are presented singly on the transfer-bar I,

and force their prongs downward through the leather or fabric With-whichthey are to be used, and holds them in proper position during thesubsequent clinching operation. These nippers are secured to the lowerend of a rod, 0, which is fitted to vertical slides in an arm of thestandard X. A horizontal beam-lever,p, is mounted on an axis at the topof the main standard X. The front end of the beam-lever is pivoted tothe upper end of the rod 0, and its rear end to a verticalconnecting-rod, g, which extends downward through the bed-pl ate and iscapable of being shortened or lengthened, as desired. Motion for thebeam and nippers is derived from the cam m on the-main shaft, which isprovided with a groove, m, in its side, with which a stud projectingfrom the side of the lower end of the rod (1 engages. The groove m ofcam m is of such a form that it gives to the nippers in every revolutiona downward movement followed by a slight rest, a continued downwardmovement followed by a longer rest, and then a full upward movement. Thenippers L have one stationary and one movable jaw, r. The latter ispivoted to the stationary jaw in a manner common to nippers or pliers,and a spring is so applied that its force will keep the jaws closed whennot overcome by a counter force. At its lower end the movable jaw r isprovided with an inward projection, which is fitted to enter thelacingspace between the under side of the headand the top of theshank-plate of the hook, and thus hold and sustain the hook during thesubsequent setting operation. The peculiarly-constructedclamping-nippers, with their inward projection, are of my own invention,but constitute in part the subject of former Letters Patent. Theautomatic opening of the jaws is effected by the edge 12 of the cam g onthe main shaft. It actuates a vertical lever, t, which projects upwardthrough the bed-plate, to the upper end of which a rod is pivoted, whichis, in turn, at its opposite end, pivoted to the upper end or arm of themovable jaw r. The edge a of cam g is so formed that, during everycomplete revolution, it will cause the jaws to be open at their highestelevation, and so remain at rest until they have descended to thetransfer-bar I, at which point it will permit the jaws to close by theaction of their spring, and so remain at rest until the lowest point isreached, and, after a slightly-continued rest, it will open the jawswide, and so hold them during the entire upward return movement. Mdenotes the clinching-block. It is a metallic tubular structure, securedto and projecting upward from the bed-plate beneath the nippers L and ona vertical line therewith. The top of the clinching-block is so set withrelation to the nippers that when the latter are at their lowest pointthey will be separated only by a space equal to the thickness of theleather or fabric in which the lacing-hooks are to be set. The block Mis slotted vertically on three sides for the reception of three verticalturning-fingers, '0, which are pivoted to the block at a point aboutmidway between their two ends. Each finger is provided at its lower endwith a spring, so set as to bear inward against its outer edge, and bythat means force the upper ends outward when not otherwise prevented.When the fingers v are forced outward at their upper ends, an openT-shaped space is formed in the top of the clinching-block, of suchdimensions as will permit the prongs of the button-hook to enter as theyare forced through the leather. Within the clinching-block is aclincher, 3 It is a metallic rod fitted to vertical bearings in the baseof theblock, and extends downward through the bed-plate. Its upper endis T-shaped, and corresponds in form and dimensions with the T-shapedspace in the top of the clinching-block referred to. A short distancebelow its upper end, it is enlarged in the form of two cones, joined attheir bases with conical inclined planes above and below the largestdiameter. The fingers c are so set with relation to these inclinedplanes on the clincher that their inner edges are in constant contactwith the inclines, actuated by the finger-springs, and, therefore, asthe clincher is moved down and up it causes the fingers to vibrate inand out at their tops, and by that action to incline the prongs of ahook inward toward a center common to all of them, and on arriving atits highest elevation its T-sh aped end forces the inclined prongs flatagainst the leather, and completes the clinching operation. Theholding-nippers are so adjusted that they receive the force of therising clincher without yielding, and, therefore, the prongs are wellflattened, and more or less cushioned into the leather. The clincher yis actuated by a lever, 10, below the bed-plate, which is pivoted to ahanger suspended therefrom. The lever at one end engages with the groove2 of the cam g on the main shaft. This portion of the cam is so formedthat, during every complete revolution, it will cause a complete riseand fall of the clincher, and this movement will be accomplished duringabout one-half of the revolution of the cam, and during the remainder ofits rotary movement the clincher will stand at full rest.

Having thus described in detail the several port-ions of my machine, Iwill now describe its operation: Supposing the hopper to be suppliedwith lacing-hooks in mass,the separator G will readily lift, at eachmovement, more or less of them on its edge, and transfer them to the topplate E of the chute D. As the'hooks descend the inclined plane, allwhich are not suspended by their necks with their prongs toward theright hand will be thrown from the chute at the twist 61 into a boxprovided for thepurpose. Those that are in proper position are turnedfrom a horizontal to a vertical position at the twist d, andareimmediately afterward fully entered into the chute, down which theyslide until arrested in their course by the contact of the lowest onewith the releasingfinger H, at which point, in practice, some fifteen ortwenty hooks are held in check. An upward movement of the finger H,resulting from a semi-rotary movement of its axis, releases the hookwith which it is in contact, and the whole line of hooks then slide downa little further, until again arrested by the releasingfinger H, whichturns down to the top plate as the finger H turns upward, and viceversa. The finger H next turns down again, coming in contact with thesecond lowest hook in the line, and simultaneously therewith the fingerH releases the lowest hook, which slides down to the end of the chute.The fingers H and H, by the alternate movement described, deliver orrelease the hooks one by one as they are presented in the chute. Onarriving at the bottom of the chute the transfer-finger K, by itssemirotary movement on its axis, throws the hook beyond the end of thechute into the custody of the transfer-bar I, andthen returns to itsformer position ready for another hook. The lacing-hook, when enteredinto the slot at the end of the transfer-bar, has its prongs in the samerelation to the sides of the bar at the slot that they occupied while inthe chute to the back plate and turning-plate. While the hook is beingsustained by the transfer-bar, the clamping-nippers L descend with jawsopen, and, at the bar, close on the neck of the hook and there restuntil the transferbar, by a quick movement to the right, opens a passagefor its further descent. The nippers then descend to theclinching-block, and force the prongs through the leather into the T-shaped space in the top of the block and there rest. The clincher y, bya vertical movement, draws inward the tops of the turning-fingers o, andcauses thereby the prongs of the lacinghook to be all inclined towardthe center. After this turning operation is effected the clincher risesand forces the prongs fiat against the leather. The holding-nippers thenopen and resume their highest elevation, and the several devices areready to repeat the operation described. In many instances returnmotions are effected by springs. It is practicable in all cases todispense with springs when desired, and effect all movements by thepositive action of cams.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- 1, The top plate E, partially vertical and partiallyhorizontal, with the intervening section twisted 'or curved, incombination with the turning-plate F, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the. chute with fingers H and H, arranged tovibrate alternately to and from the upper surface of the chute, as andfor the purposes specified.

3. The combination of the chute, the transfer-finger, and thetransfer-bar, as and for the purposes specified.

4. The automatic holding and forcing nippers, in combination with thetransfer or holding bar, as and for the purposes specified.

